China is improving women's training and employment, an official
on female and children affairs has said.
"Labor departments around the country have helped more than
376,000 laid-off women get new jobs and put 103,000 women on public
service posts during recent years," said Huang Qingyi, vice
director of the women and children affairs committee of the State
Council.
More than 270,000 women have received employment training from
labor departments, with 154,000 finding jobs or setting up their
own businesses, Huang said.
Under a national project, the ministries of agriculture,
finance, education and labor and social security have jointly
organized training of more than three million rural laborers and
helped more than 2.6 million find jobs in cities, with women making
up 40 percent, she said.
However, Huang said, increasing work pressure and underdeveloped
unemployment and maternity insurance is still an issue for working
women.
About 21 percent of rural women in cities were fired after they
became pregnant or had a child. A growing number of working women
are delaying motherhood for fear of losing jobs or promotion
opportunities.
(Xinhua News Agency May 8, 2007)
